Can you forgive her?

Can you forgive her? is a novel written by Anthony Trollope and first published in 1865.

The story follows a young heiress who wavers between a steady, principled suitor and a reckless figure whose charm masks darker ambitions. Her vacillation ignites the costs of indecision—not only to herself but to families whose fortunes and reputations stand in the balance.

Running alongside is a second thread about a newly married couple whose union is tested by temptation and rank. Through these intersecting plots, Trollope probes marriage as a social contract, where affection meets calculation, and where the right choice is rarely the easiest one.

Written with wry humor and sharp observation, the novel explores personal conscience versus social expectation. Its famous title becomes a challenge to readers: when desire, pride, and pragmatism collide, who deserves forgiveness—and on what terms?

"The little dinner-party went off very quietly; and if no other ground existed for charging Mr. Grey with London dissipation than what that afforded, he was accused most unjustly. The two young men had never before met each other; and Vavasor had gone to his uncle's house, prepared not only to dislike but to despise his successor in Alice's favour. But in this he was either disappointed or gratified, as the case may be."

This book is illustrated with original drawings.